This was the first ti Mingzhu had seen Yueyao upset, and she quickly comforted her, saying, "You don’t need to worry. As long as Tingzheng is careful himself, he won’t get caught up in any trouble."
Yueyao thought that Tingzheng had been in the Imperial Forest Army for a year without any incidents, which eased her mind a lot. "Yes, I’m overthinking." In fact, Yueyao’s anxiety was not only because of Tingzheng but also because of An Zhichen. Once the Crown Prince is gone, everyone will be watching that position, and she couldn’t guarantee that her husband would be safe. Her husband was not Marquis Jingning, with a high status that deterred others from making a move, so Yueyao was very worried.
In the evening, Yueyao ntioned Tingzheng and then talked about the current situation outside, "Heyue, the waters in the Capital City are deep. I’m worried that we might also get caught up in trouble."
An Zhichen actually already had plans in mind. Yueyao hadn’t asked before, so he didn’t say anything. But now that Yueyao was worried he might get involved in the Capital City’s troubles, he shared his plans with her. "The grinding in the Capital City is about complete, and during this ti, I’ve been checking where there might be a suitable vacancy for ." Preparing for a posting away from the capital should be done at least a year in advance. He had been paying attention since the beginning of the year, but hadn’t found a satisfactory position.
Yueyao thought for a mont and said, "It would be best if it were a place far from the Capital City." The further away from the Capital City, the less likely they would be to get caught up in troubles.
An Zhichen smiled and said, "Where there are people, there will be disputes. No matter how far away you are, if soone wants to sche against you, you can’t escape. You don’t need to worry because of what Mingzhu said. Although there are fights among the Princes, the Emperor is still here, and the Crown Prince’s status is stable, so no trouble will arise."
Yueyao weighed all this for a long ti and finally said, "Who can really say what will happen in the future? If sothing were to happen to the Crown Prince, what do you think would beco of the Capital City?"
An Zhichen didn’t think Yueyao was speaking nonsense; there are no absolutes in this world, and the Crown Prince is not necessarily the future Emperor. "The Marquis is loyal only to the Emperor, and so am I." It is tempting to rise to power from following the Dragon, but the risk is equally significant. One wrong step and the whole family is ruined; he was unwilling to take such a risk. If one seeks advancent, they should earn it through their own ability; that way, the advancent is the most reliable and stable.
Yueyao felt much more at ease after hearing these words from An Zhichen. As long as they didn’t get involved in the vortex of succession struggles, she would have no worries. As for Tingzheng, Yueyao thought she would first communicate well with Tingzheng. If Tingzheng wished to take the Martial Scholar exam, she would persuade An Zhichen. If Tingzheng preferred to stay with the Imperial Forest Army and didn’t want to take the exam, there would be no need to ntion it to An Zhichen.
Yueyao generally wouldn’t attend banquets, except for those with very close friends or relatives. When she received an invitation from Loo Ying for her son’s first birthday celebration, Yueyao simply instructed the steward to prepare a gift to be sent, without attending herself.
Yuehuan delivered an invitation over.
Yueyao handed the invitation to Xiang Wei, saying, "Your shop’s business has been so good, thanks much to Yuehuan. Stay over tomorrow!"
Xiang Wei was pleased. "Sure, I just have so questions for her!" Xiang Wei’s childhood dream had now been realized, and seeing people lining up every day to buy pastries gave her a sense of satisfaction and pride that couldn’t be bought with any amount of silver.
Yuehuan’s visit was rely a casual one, with no significant matters. She patiently explained her suggestions for Xiang Wei’s various questions.
After noting everything down, Xiang Wei said, "We’ve started turning a profit these past two months; I’ve already instructed the accounting room to calculate your dividends, and we’ll deliver them to you in the next couple of days." Because they had to expand their storefront, all the previous earnings were reinvested, and they only started making an actual profit these past two months.
Yuehuan declined this money from Xiang Wei. "I’m not hiding anything from you. I don’t lack for money right now; you keep the dividends for . If I’m ever in trouble, I’ll co to collect them from you." Yuehuan was not boasting; since giving birth to her son, her stipends had increased, along with her mother-in-law’s private supplents each month. Life was quite comfortable, so she saw this money as a fallback plan.
Xiang Wei was impressed by Yuehuan; maintaining caution in prosperity is sothing rare to find. Without consulting Yueyao, Xiang Wei imdiately agreed, "I’ll keep this money for you, and I’ll give it to you whenever you need it!" The shop’s monthly dividends weren’t much, only a few hundred taels. For Yuehuan now, it’s not substantial, but should she ever really fall on hard tis, this money would be lifesaving silver.
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